Machine for applying strips to wrappers



. Feb. 10, 1942. HECKMAN 2,272,407

MACHINE FOR APPLYING STRIPS TO WRAPPERS Filed N v. 18, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 10, :1942. J. A. HECKMAN 2,272,407

MACHINE FOR APPLYING STRIPS TO WRAPPERS Filed Nov. 18, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 10, 1942. .1. A. HECKMAN 2,272,407

MACHINE FOR APPLYING STRIPS T0 WRAPPERS Filed Nov. 18, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 54 E B WM 26 ,5 I l @@@5 x i g I 6 "Emma ,6

Feb. 10, 1942. J. HECKMAN 2,272,407

' MACHINE FOR APPLYING STRIPS T0 WRAPPERS Filed Ndv. 18, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Feb. 10, 1942 MACHINE Fort APPLYING STRIPS waarrrns John A. Heckman, Chicago, 111., assignor to Miller ,Wrapping and Sealing Machine Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application November 18, 1940, Serial N0. 366,060

11 Claims.

In the wrapping of packages of cigarettes or the like in Cellophane or similar tough material, difliculty is experienced in the starting of a tearing line which will enable the outer 'sheath or wrapper to be torn away, and to avoid this diffrculty outer wrappers are being-made at the present time with a band or" strip having a loose tab end which enables the user to establish a tearing line around the end of the package in order to afford easy access to the inner wrapper which encloses the contents. It has been customary, in the application of such a band, to allow the end thereof to project beyond the edge of the outer wrapper, but this involves difficulties in applying the band to the wrapper which the present invention is designed to overcome.

The machine of the present invention, therefore, is one which applies the band to the web from which the wrapper sections are afterwards cut so that the band is severed on the cutting line of the web, with provision, however, for immediately thereafter punching the end of the band'through the wrapper so that a free tab end will be presented beyond the exposed surface of the wrapper, which enables it to be torn away along a tearing line contiguous to the edge of the band.

Further objects and details will appear from the description of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1' is a side elevation of a machine of the general character shown in the pending application of Corley and Heckman, Serial No. 333,128, filed May 3, 1940, for improvements in Package sealing machines, having added thereto the special features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the cutting knife for the web and the punch for forcing the end of the band through the margin of the cut off web section;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional details of the knife and punch in different positions of operation;

Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the punch in different positions of operation;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail of the face of the punch; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a cigarette package, showing the location of the tearing band and the projecting tab.

It is not deemed necessary to show and describe in full detail the power transmission features of the complete machina which are fully 55 described and set forth in the Corley and'I Ieckman application aforesaid, save in so far as necessary to a full understanding of the details of the present invention.

The machine as a whole is carried by a frame comprising corner legs 80 which are connected at their upper ends by side rails ii and cross connected by upper cross rails l2 and upper and lower cross rods l3 and It, giving to the frame as a whole a table-like formation.

The web of Cellophane or the like is fed from a roll 55 mounted upona spindle l6 carried by brackets ii, and the web W is fed under guide rolls it and it to a feed roll 28 which is actuated at the desired speed to feed forward the web to an oscillating knife 2i, in a manner in all respects similar to that set forth in the application aforesaid. I'he knife-2| is pivoted at one end upon a pivot pin 22 and is actuated by a link 28 pivoted at its free end, and operated recurrently and in timed relation to the feeding speed of the web to cut ofi sections of the desired length to form individual outer sheaths or wrappers.

The tearing band B is fed from a spool 2d carried by a pintle 25 mounted at the outer end of a bracket arm 26 which is secured to the cross rods i3 and It. The tearing band is carrie'd over the rod 13 and under guide rods 21 and 2d and under the lower end of a shoe 29 which is secured to the face of a heating plate 30 heated by suitable coils controlled by a thermostat 31. The band unites with the web W at the point where both pass over. the lower tip end of the shoe 29, so that from that point on the band and web are fed in unison tothe cutting line.

In Order to secure proper adherence of the band to the web it is moistened by a lamp wick 32 projecting upwardly from a container 33 which contains a solvent such as acetone. vIn lieu of a softener, however, a glue pot or the like may be substituted for applying an adhesive.

of the shoe 29, suflicient heat will be imparted to insure the degree of adherence required.

The present invention relates particularly to the punch or plunger which is associated with the knife and which is best shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The plunger punch is in the form of a small plate 34 secured tothe lower end of a plunger rod 35 carrying a disk or washer 36 at its upper end, which receives the thrust of a coil spring 31 which at its lower end bears .the wrapping operation, scribed.

against the upper edge of the knife and against a guide block 38 rigidly secured to and movable with the knife. The guide block is provided' with a groove 39 which permits the plunger rod and punch to be moved from the elevated position shown in Fig. 4 to the active position shown in Fig. 5. This movement is effected by th oscillation of the inner end of a lever 40 which is fulcrumed upon a pivot 4| carried by a block 42 mounted upon and movable with the knife 2|.

The outer end of the lever 40 is provided with an adjustable stop screw 43 which upon the downward cutting stroke of the knife 21 will be brought into contact with an abutment 44 on the frame of the machine, so that a further movement of the knife blade will cause the free end of the lever 40 to suddenly kick downwardly and impart a thrust to the plunger rod 35 which carries the plunger punch.

The lower or acting end of the punch plate 34 is provided with two spaced prongs 45 each of which is tapered and sharpened along its inner ridge 48 to afford cutting edges which serve to pierce through the web on opposite sides of the band or strip, without, however, cutting or severing the strip itself. Between the prongs 46, the lower end face 4! of the punch plate 34 is flat or blunt, and as the punch descends through its final range of movement it will force the end of the band or strip downwardly through the web, which web will by the pressure be torn free between the apertures pierced by the prongs, and during this terminal movement the lightly adhered end of the band or strip will be drawn free from the web and forced through to the opposite side, as clearly indicated in Fig. '7.

In order to hold the newly severed edge of the web during the operation of the punch, a bracket plate 48 is provided which terminates in a lip 49 carrying a pad 50 of sponge-rubber against which th strip and the web are forced by a foot H which depends from and is movable with the block 38 carried by the knife. Th coaction of the foot and pad serves to clamp the marginal portion of the cut web so that it will not pull forwardly while the punch descends on down in forcing the free end of the strip through the aperture in the web as shown in Fig. 5.

The knife 2| is in the nature of a movable shear blade which coacts with a fixed shear blade 52, and the range of movement of the knife is sufficient to shear across the full width of the web and by its terminal movement to impart the necessary thrust to the lever 4|] to strike down the punch, which completes the operation.

Thereafter, the severed wrapping section is carried forward by an endless belt or apron 53 for which need not be de- In the completed package, as shown in Fig. 9, the edge last severed becomes the outer or free edge of the wrapped package, so that a free tab will be exposed, without adherence to the wrap-' per and in a convenient position to enable the user of the package to grasp the same and tear wrapper, so that there will be no danger of pu11- ing the strip free from the wrapper without tearing the latter in the intended manner.

By projecting the tab through the wrapper itself in the manner shown, it is necessary only to afford a slight degree of adherence between -the strip and the web, which does not at all In the feeding of the band or strip, and in 1 order to prevent the spool 24 from overrunning and piling up the strip, a brake band 54 is'pro vided which encircles the spool 24, and carries a. weight 55 at its,free end so that sufficient friction is afforded to hold the spool steady while the band is being drawn therefrom by the feeding of the web, which may be continuous and in timed relation to the movements of the knife.

The special features of the present invention are of simple construction and of such form that they may be applied as an operating unit to web feeding mechanism of any suitable character, so that it will be understood that th web, feeding mechanism herein shown serves merely for purposes of illustration.

It will also be understood that the special means herein shown for actuating the punch by the movement of the knife itself involves a suitable and convenient method of imparting the required movements, but that it is not the intention, unless otherwise indicated in the claims, to limit the invention to one which is thus coordinated with the knife itself, since the punch features of the present, invention may be used as a unit in the displacement of the ends of strips on previously cut web sections and independently of the mechanism provided for cutting the web into sections.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for clamping the marginal portion of a wrapper section having a tearing strip applied thereto, and a punch member provided with spaced piercing prongs positioned to straddle the tearing strip behind the edge there-' of and when first depressed to pierce through the wrapper on opposite sides of the strip, the end of the punch member intermediate the prongs being blunt and adapted by continuing depression to tear free the intervening portion of the wrapper without severing the strip and force the end of the strip through the opening thus produced in the form of a free tab.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for clamping the marginal portion of a wrapper section having a tearing strip applied thereto, and a punch member provided with spaced piercing prongs positioned to straddle the tearing strip and when depressed to pierce through the wrapper on opposite sides of the strip and the end of the punch member intermediate the prongs being adapted when driven downwardly to sever the intervening portion of the wrapper and force the end of the strip therethrough in the form of a free tab, and means for guiding the punch member for reciprocating movements in a plane immediately adjacent to the clamping means.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for clamping the marginal portion of a wrapper section having a tearing strip applied thereto, and a punch member provided with spaced piercing prongs positioned to straddle the tearing strip and when depressed to pierce through the wrapper on opposite sides of the strip and the end of the punch member intermediate the prongs being adapted when driven downwardly to sever the intervening portion of the wrapper and force the end of the strip therethrough in the form of a free tab, means for guiding the punch member'for reciprocating movements in a plane immediately adjacent to the clamping means, and cutting means adapted to sever the wrapper section from a web concurrently with the movement of the punch member toward the wrapper section. I

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for clamping the marginal portion of a wrapper section having a tearing strip applied thereto, and a punch member provided with spaced piercing prongs positioned to straddle the tearing strip and when depressed to pierce through the wrapper on opposite sides of the strip and theend of the punch member intermediate the prongs being adapted when driven downwardly to sever the intervening portion of the wrapper and force the end of the strip therethrough in the form of a freev tab, means for guiding the punch member for reciprocating movements in a. plane immediately adjacent to the clamping means, and a knife mounted for shearing movements in severing a wrapper section from a web, the punch member being slidably mounted upon the knife, and means forimparting an additional movement to the punch member to project the end of the punch member below the cutting edge of the knife.

5. In. a machine of the character described,

the combination of means for feeding forwardly a wrapper web having a tearing strip applied thereto, a cutting member mounted in proximity to the web and adapted to be moved to sever a wrapper section from the web, a punch plate slidably mounted upon and movable with the cutting member and provided with cutting prongs positioned to straddle the tearing strip and pierce through the web on opposite sides of the tearing strip, the punch plate being adapted when moved independently of the cutting member to complete the severance of the web between the holes pierced by the prongs and force the end of the strip therethrough to present a free tab on the opposite side of the wrapper section, and means for imparting supplemental movement to the punch plate.

6. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for feeding forwardly a wrapper web' having a tearing strip applied thereto, a cutting member mounted in proximity to the web and adapted to be moved to sever a wrapper section from the web, a punch plate slidably mounted upon and movable with the cutting member and provided with cutting prongs positioned to straddle the tearing strip and pierce through the web on opposite sides of the tearing strip, the punch plate being adapted when moved independently of the cutting member to complete the severance of the web be: tween the holes pierced by the prongs and force the end of the strip therethrough to present a free tab on the opposite side of the wrapper section, and means for imparting supplemental movement to the punch plate, said means including a lever pivoted on and movable with the cutting member, and stop means positioned to arrest the outer end of the lever during the movement of the cutting member and to force the opposite end of the lever downwardly against the punch plate to impart said supplemental movement thereto.

7. In a machineof the character described,

the combination of means for feeding forwardly a wrapper web having a tearing strip applied to the web and adapted to be moved to sever a -wrapper section fromthe web, a punch plate slidably mounted upon and movable with the cutting member and provided with cutting prongs positioned to straddle the tearing strip and pierce through the web on opposite sides of the tearing strip, the punch plate being adapted when moved independently of the cutting member to complete the severance of the web between the holes pierced by the prongs and force the end of the strip therethrough to present a free tab on the opposite side of the wrapper section, and means for imparting supplemental movement to the punch plate, and clamping members for the web section, one being stationary and underlying the web and the other being secured to and movable with the cutting member for clamping the web and strip at a point immediately adjacent to the line of movement of the punch plate. 1

8. In a machine of the-character described, the combination-of means for feeding forwardly a wrapper web having a tearing strip applied thereto, a cuttingmember mounted in proximity to the-web and adapted to be moved to sever a wrapper section from the web, a punch plate slidably mounted upon and movable with the cutting member and provided with cutting prongs positioned to straddle the tearing strip and pierce through the web on opposite sides of the tearing strip, the punch plate being adapted when moved independently of the cutting member to complete the severance of the web between the holes pierced by the prongs and force the end of the strip therethrough to present a free tab on the opposite side of the wrapper section,

' and means for imparting supplemental movewebv and the other being secured to and movable thereto, a cutting member mounted in proximity 75 combination of means for feeding a wrapper web from a roll, means for feeding a tearing strip from a roll, means for bringing th tearing strip into contiguous relation to the surface of the wrapper web and adhering the same thereto and feeding the wrapper web and strip forwardly' in unison, a pivoted shear knife positioned to cut across the web and strip to sever the same, means for oscillatingthe shear knife, a punch plate located in contiguous relation to the shear knife and movable toward and from the strip concurrently with the movements of the knife, said punch plate being provided with cutting prongs positioned to straddle the strip and the intervening end portion of the punch plate being adapted to press against the tearing. strip, and means for imparting to the punch plate a movement in excess of the knife movement to cause the prongs to pierce through the wrapper on opposite sides of the strip and force the end portion of the strip through the wrapper in the form of a free tab on the opposite side of the Wrapper.

. cut across the web and strip to sever the same,

means for oscillating the shear knife, a punch plate slidably mounted upon and movable with the shearknife and provided on its acting end with spaced cutting prongs positioned to straddle the tearing strip with the intervening end of the punch plate positioned to press against the strip, and means for imparting to the punch plate a movement in excess of the knife-movement for causing the punch plate to pierce through the wrapper and force the end of the tearing strip through the aperture thus formed to provide a free tab on the opposite side of the wrapper.

11. In a machine of the character described, the combination of means for feeding a wrapper web from a roll, means for feeding a tearing strip from a roll, means for bringing the tearing strip into contiguous relation to the surface of the wrapper web and adhering the same thereto and feeding the wrapper web and strip forwardly in unison, a pivoted shear knife positioned to cut across the web and strip to sever the same, means for oscillating the shear knife, a punch plate slidably mounted upon and movable with ing operation.

the shear knife and provided on its acting end with spaced cutting prongs positioned to straddle the tearing strip with the intervening end of the punch plate positioned to press against the strip, means for imparting to the punch plate a movement in excess of the knife movement for causing the punch plate to pierce through the wrapper and force the .end of the tearing strip through the aperture thusformed to-provide a free tab on the opposite side of the wrapper, a fixed clamping member of cushioning material located in position to support the under surface of the web, and a clamping foot secured to and movable with the knife for clamping the web and strip against displacement during the punch- JOHN a. HECKMAN. 

